Empowerment and Equity Opportunities for Excellence in Science

Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) is expanding its reach across wider sections of the research community through new initiatives since its inception. It strives for promoting excellence in research together with equity and inclusiveness. A successful step towards facilitating equal participation of weaker secions of society in research and development is the initiation of a special scheme titled Empowerment and Equity Opportunities for Excellence in Science (EMEQ).


Objective:

  • To provide research support to scientists belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe in undertaking research in newly emerging and frontier areas of science and engineering including multidisciplinary fields.
  • To involve scientists belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe in national S & T development process.


Eligibility:

  • The scheme is open to Indian nationals only.
  • Should be an active researcher belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe category working on regular basis in academic institutions/national labs or any other recognized R&D institutions in India in the field of Science and Engineering.
  • The applicant should have at least four years of service remaining before superannuation as on the date of submission of the proposal.
  • Researchers/Scientists who are having an ongoing project under this program as on the date of submission of the proposal are not eligible to apply.


Selection & Mode of Application:

  • The project proposals for consideration under the this Scheme can be submitted only when the call for proposal is made. The call will be made in the website www.serbonline.in and www.serb.gov.in.
  • The proposal should be submitted online only through the website www.serbonline.in .
  • The proposals are evaluated by Task Force / Expert Committee constituted for the purpose.


Guidelines:

  • The duration of the project should be of maximum period of four years.
  • The funding is provided up to a maximum of Rs. 50.0 lakh (excluding overhead charges) for a period not exceeding four years.
  • Funds are provided for major equipments, research personnel, consumables, travel, analytical charges and contingency etc.
  • Overhead Charges as per SERB rules will be provided to the implementing institution.
  • No co-Investigator(s) is/are allowed in this program.
  • Projects, which involve Recombinant DNA work should be examined and certified by Institutional Biosafety Committee. Certificate from this committee should accompany the project proposal.
  • Projects, which are clinically oriented or projects, which involve experiments with human and/or animal material, should be examined and certified by Institutional Ethics Committee. Certificate from this committee should accompany the project proposal.
  • Proposals in the area of Earth Sciences should contain the geological map of the region to be studied.
  • Please make sure to quote the File No. (Given by SERB) and title of the proposals in all your future communications.
  • Before final submission, Principle Investigator (PI) must check the completeness of the proposal (including the attachments). The scanned attachments should be clearly legible. Incomplete proposal or proposals with illegible documents will be summarily rejected.

Note:Research proposals from scientific institutions, research laboratories under various scientific departments, which are in line with the normal research activities of the institutions, may not be considered for support. Only research proposals outside the normal activities of such institutions (i.e. National R&D Programs, Programs in newly emerging and front-line areas of research etc.) will be considered. Further, proposals involving purely survey-oriented work and routine studies will not be normally considered.


General Terms and Conditions:

  • The Institution implementing the project assumes financial and other administrative responsibilities of the project.
  • International travel is not permissible under the project.
  • The research personnel recruited for the project is temporary and is co-terminous with the project and SERB will have no liability to meet the fellowship/salary etc. beyond the duration of the project. He/she should be paid as per the rules of the institute and guidelines of SERB/DST.
  • It is the policy of SERB to maximize the use of equipment. In this light, Investigator shall permit the use of spare or ideal capacities of equipment procured under the project by bonafide users from the parent or nearby Institutes (research workers in other SERB/DST funded projects or other projects of the institute).


How to apply online:
For successful online submission of the application the following points may be noted:
  • Applicant(s) should first register into the online website click here to register
  • After log-in, applicant(s) are required to fill all the mandatory fields in Profile Detail section under User Profile. which includes Bio-data, Photo, Institute Address etc.
  • Some of the details of your proposal like Project Title (max 500 characters), Project summary (max 3000 characters), Keywords (max 6), Objectives of project (max 1500 characters), Expected output and outcome of the proposal (max 1500 characters), Budget (Research Personnel,Consumables,Travel, Equipment, Contingency, Overheads ) have to be entered at the time of proposal submission.
  • Other relevant information of the proposal has to be uploaded in single PDF file not more than 10 MB as other technical document (OTD). Download Template
Complete guideline for Principal Investigator for SERB-online system

Documents required (in PDF) should be in prescribed format:

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q1: Can I apply for EMEQ Opportunities after my superannuation in academic institutions/national labs or any other recognized R&D institutions in the field of Science and Engineering?

 

A1: No.The applicant should have at least four years of service remaining before superannuation as on the date of submission of the proposal.

 

Q2: I am working abroad as post-doc, and I want to return to India. I intend to apply for EMEQ. But I have not yet finalized my place of work. Am I eligible to apply under the scheme?

 

A2: No. The applicant should be an active researcher belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe category working on regular basis in academic institutions/national labs or any other recognized R&D institutions in India in the field of Science and Engineering.

 

Q3: Can I apply for a project under EMEQ scheme when I am already implementing another project (such as EMR) of SERB?

 

A3: Yes

 

Q4: Can I apply for a project under EMEQ scheme when I am already implementing another project within the same scheme in SERB?

 

A4: No. Researchers/Scientists who are running an ongoing project under this program as on the date of submission of the proposal, are not eligible to apply.

 

Q5: Is there any specific time-line for applying proposals under this scheme?

 

A5: The project proposals for consideration under EMEQ scheme can be submitted only when the call for proposal is made. The call will be made in the website www.serbonline.in and www.serb.gov.in

 

Q6: What is the maximum amount of the grant the Board will fund?

 

A6: The funding is provided up to a maximum of Rs. 50.0 lakh (excluding overhead charges) for a period not exceeding four years. The budget should be proposed based on the requirement for the successful implementation of the project. The final decision regarding the budget will be made by the Task Force Committee.

 

Q7: Can I have a Co-PI in EMEQ project?

 

A7: No

 

Q8: I belong to OBC category. Can I apply under EMEQ Scheme?

 

A8: No. This scheme is specially meant to support scientists belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe only.

 

Q9: If I am from the SC/ST category, am I eligible to apply only in EMEQ and not in EMR scheme?

 

A9: You are eligible to apply in both the schemes provided the proposals are distinctly different.

 

Q10: Does the Board have any priority areas for funding under EMEQ scheme?

 

A10: No. The Board funds all the areas of Science and Engineering without discriminating any discipline. Research proposals outside the normal activities of such institutions (i.e. National R&D Programs, Programs in newly emerging and front-line areas of research etc.) will be preferred. Further, proposals involving purely survey-oriented work and routine studies will not be normally considered.The proposal will be funded if it has novelty and the investigator has the competence to execute the project.

 

Q11: Does the Board allow to travel abroad under EMEQ scheme?

 

A11: International travel is not supported under the EMEQ project.

 

Q12: Do I need to provide any special document/certificates for project involving Recombinant DNA work or experiments with human/animal material or Earth science under this grant?

 

A12: The following documents should also be included along with the proposal

  • Projects which involve Recombinant DNA work should be examined and certified by Institutional Biosafety Committee.
  • Projects, which are clinically oriented or projects, which involve experiments with human and/or animal material, should be examined and certified by Institutional Ethics Committee.
  • Proposals in the area of Earth Sciences should contain the geological map of the region to be studied.

 

Q13: Does SERB discriminate Project Investigators working in Private Universities/Institutions in funding?

 

A13: No. SERB does not discriminate Project Investigators working in Private Universities/Institutions. Funding decisions are made based on merit of the proposal, competence of the Investigator, and the infrastructure available in the implementing institution, and not on the category of institutions the Investigator is working.